Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. Sells 3,280 Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG)

Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG) by 49.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,303 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 3,280 shares during the quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $361,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,079 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $337,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 46.5% in the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,468 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $489,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,499 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,258,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 475 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.42% of the company’s stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Down 8.0 %

HIG opened at $113.56 on Friday. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $94.47 and a fifty-two week high of $125.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $32.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $116.56 and its 200 day moving average is $115.49.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.26. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 19.55% and a net margin of 11.72%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Group’s payout ratio is currently 20.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on HIG. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com downgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Hartford Financial Services Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.47.

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In other news, EVP Robert W. Paiano sold 13,138 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total transaction of $1,539,773.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,712,661.60. This represents a 29.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher Swift sold 1,144 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total transaction of $143,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 211,082 shares in the company, valued at $26,385,250. This represents a 0.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 112,343 shares of company stock valued at $13,488,337. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Profile

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and financial services to individual and business customers in the United States, the United Kingdom, and internationally. Its Commercial Lines segment offers insurance coverages, including workers' compensation, property, automobile, general and professional liability, package business, umbrella, fidelity and surety, marine, livestock, accident, health, and reinsurance through regional offices, branches, sales and policyholder service centers, independent retail agents and brokers, wholesale agents, and reinsurance brokers.